Principles w: Qs

e utopia Principles

Why do we work at all?

The Genesis story of creation gives some reasons for work, one being that we must work by the sweat of our brow for the food that sustains us. We tend not to stop working after we have secured food, clothing and shelter, though. We keep working for more than that. Essentially we are never really satisfied, looking to get from the world and from each other what we can get only from God. Working to get the “most” from the world and from each other leads to damaging relationships both to the world and to each other. If we don’t have some ideal condition in mind for ourselves and the world, what do we work for? If everybody aims for increasing efficiency and profit at work rather than trying to establish some specific condition in our lives and in our world through our work - so that our work serves that ideal condition; if we turn one of the methods of work into the purpose of work, and everything else serves our efficiency, and our efficiency is measured by the profit we make - then we will have damaging relationships with each other and the world. A modestly proposed observation: we are kind of living this way now. Most companies are designed to maximize efficiency and profits

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